A look back at Summer 2017 at Grand Cata

It’s hard to pinpoint what we love most about our jobs at Grand Cata. Interacting with all of you on a daily basis tops the list, with a close second being our sense of pride in our mission of representing Latin American culture and sharing it with you.

However, we take distinct pleasure in helping you find new favorite wines. And in seeing you try new things that only we can offer. This summer has been chalk full of this! So as we come up on Labor Day, we thought it only made sense to look back at some of our favorite things that made this summer special and unique!

Rosé and Pipeño

Rosé has been on the rise for a while. The time has passed when the only rosé around came in huge bottles with enough residual sugar to classify it as a dessert wine. Instead, the summer of 2017 showed just how completely you have embraced the nuances and subtleties of rosé, in all it’s forms.

Chilean Pipeño made it to our shelves to stay! Mostly made with the first ever planted grape in Chile from the Canary Island, the pais grape...a fresh drinkable summer red served chilled while doing outdoor activities. Cacique Maravilla Pipeño and Viña Matia "Aupa" Pipeño were and still a big hit with many of our patrons!

Summer Malbec

In May, we decided to show a different side of Malbec: the lighter, fresher, more herbal, wild-berry laden version. “Malbec,” much like “Cab,” has a specific connotation in the US. It’s supposed to be big, intense, complex and thick. While we love Malbecs in this vein, we wanted to highlight the versatility of the grape.

The feedback we received regarding May's wines - specifically the Esperando los Barbaros from Chile - warmed our hearts and gave us more inspiration in what we’re doing at Grand Cata.

Taste of South America - largest event we have hosted

We try as often as we can to use our space as a place to introduce you to people, not just the wines they make. Since all of our wines are produced at least 2,100 miles from DC, this presents a challenge, especially if we aim to get more than one winemaker in the store at once. To our great delight, we managed to corral 8 of them June 3rd: four from Chile, four from Argentina. The turnout blew our minds! Over 250 of you made your way through our door that day. Even more importantly, over the next few weeks we had the pleasure to discuss the event with many of you one-on-one when you next visited the store. The excitement you displayed for the event, and the things that you learned about the wine and the people behind them, signaled to us the need to plan and host similar event going forward.

With Labor Day approaching, we are grateful for a wonderful summer (so far!). Thank you to all of you that made is great! But keep in mind, while students might be heading back to school, we still have at least 3 more weeks of incredible, summer weather! Make sure to take full advantage!